One reason given by experts for the lack of sleep among many Singaporeans is that the society's culture has long equated staying up late with higher productivity and achievement. In more recent times, heavy screen use has worsened the problem.
On a good night, estate planner Shirlyn Tan gets about six hours of sleep, like many others in Singapore.
Once back home after work and dinner outside, the 35-year-old starts getting her son ready for bed, bathing him, putting on his pyjamas and tucking him in bed. This routine begins around 9pm and can last until 10pm, when her 17-month-old finally falls asleep.
Ms Tan then washes up, completes household chores and packs his bag for when he is dropped off again at an infant care centre the next day.
She usually gets into bed a little past 11pm and falls asleep immediately on some nights if she is exhausted. On others, she unwinds with a book or watches a show on Netflix streaming site until shortly after midnight.
Her day begins anew at 6.30am when her son wakes up and she gets ready with her husband to take him to the infant-care centre by around 7am.
All fairly normal and probably relatable to many other Singaporean parents, but the fact is that six hours is too little sleep.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night to fully recharge.
Interviews with several other people found that those without children are not necessarily getting this requisite amount either.
Ms Samantha Lim, an account manager at a technology firm, gets about five to seven hours a night, yet she does not feel rested unless she sleeps nine hours.
The 30-year-old usually reaches home at about 7pm unless she has post-work plans. After a shower and dinner, it is usually past 9pm.
Even if Ms Lim is in bed by midnight, she will “doomscroll” social media for an hour or two and end up sleeping at 1am or 2am. She often gets up for work by 7am or 8am.
“Doomscrolling is so addictive. The one or two hours go by so quickly,” she said.
On weekends, she often tries to catch up on her sleep by waking up an hour or two later, but she also goes to bed at a later time.
“Scrolling through my phone before bed is the worst. Sometimes, I feel like I should get a traditional alarm clock to keep my phone out of the room,” Ms Lim added.
Ms Tan and Ms Lim’s struggles to get a good night’s rest mirror those of many in Singapore, with some surveys finding that the country is one of the most sleep-deprived countries in the world.
Assistant Professor June Lo from the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at the National University of Singapore (NUS) said that on average, adults in Asia sleep 6.5 hours on weekdays, while adults in other parts of the world sleep seven hours.
“Within Southeast Asia, the average weekday sleep duration of adults in Singapore is about 6.5 hours, while adults in Thailand sleep about 10 minutes more,” she added.
Additionally, a survey published last year by market research firm YouGov of residents across 17 international markets revealed that 54 per cent of Singaporeans sleep less than seven hours a night.
Singapore was found to be among the top sleep-deprived nations, alongside Indonesia, where 51 per cent of residents get less than seven hours of sleep daily.
The survey found that countries such as Denmark and Germany had the highest proportion of residents who slept seven or more hours a night, at 67 per cent and 65 per cent respectively.
Experts told CNA TODAY that Singaporeans are not getting enough shut-eye due to well-known reasons such as having a low priority for sleep, prolonged work and study hours, and heavy screen use.
“Some individuals also spend a significant amount of time caring for their family,” Asst Prof Lo said.
Lack of sleep is also often linked to a culture prioritising productivity over getting enough sleep.
Associate Professor Joshua Gooley from the Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School said: “Many people think that sleep can be sacrificed in the pursuit of achievement. Working late hours and getting short sleep is often viewed as a badge of honour.
“The problem with this way of thinking is that inadequate sleep impairs overall performance and well-being, which may lower work efficiency and the quality of work.”
And it is not just the individual who suffers. Insufficient sleep can also have economic repercussions for a country.
A 2016 study on sleep deprivation by Rand Corporation found that in addition to an increased mortality risk for people sleeping less than six hours a night, up to 3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) was lost due to lack of sleep.
The study by the American non-profit think tank suggested that an increase in sleep could add billions of dollars to a country's economy. The survey covered five major economies: Canada, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States
It also found that the US sustained estimated losses of up to US$411 billion yearly, which is 2.28 per cent of its GDP – the largest the study found due to the size of the American economy. Japan is estimated to lose up to US$138 billion a year.
As for Singapore, people experiencing anxiety and depression – conditions often linked to insufficient sleep – could be costing the nation nearly US$12 billion yearly, about 2.9 per cent of its GDP. This was based on a 2022 article from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
Asst Prof Lo from NUS explained that the costs are largely driven by the consequences of sleep deprivation, including reduced productivity, higher rates of illness and increased absenteeism.
Additionally, higher risks for total mortality shrink the workforce, while poor school performance hampers skills development, ultimately diminishing the quality and competitiveness of the working population.
Insomnia, noisy neighbours and having to care for infants are some of the reasons why people are not getting enough sleep. (Photo: iStock)
WHY SLEEP IS IMPORTANT
Sleep is more than just taking a break from the daily grind. It is crucial for a person’s overall health and well-being, significantly influencing their physical and mental functioning, experts said.
When one does not get enough sleep, there is an immediate drop in alertness and a decrease in learning capacity in the short term.
Professor Michael Chee, director of the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at NUS, said: “In the short term, you are less vigilant and your mood is worse. If you are a learner, you become a less efficient and effective learner.”
Sleep-deprived individuals are more likely to overlook details and make mistakes because their ability to form long-term memories is impaired.
Those who regularly lack sleep are at a higher risk of a range of health problems, including decreased immune function, cognitive decline, cardio-metabolic issues such as an increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes, Prof Chee and other experts said.
Sleep specialist Eric Lim said that chronic sleep deprivation also impairs emotional regulation and increases stress vulnerability, making it harder to cope with life stressors that come our way.
Mr Lim who is co-founder of sleep disorder centre Somnus Sleep Wellness added: “Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with increased risk of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
"Several studies found that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with a higher risk of depression, especially in young women.”
Prof Chee said that getting good sleep is not just about how long you sleep, but also its quality – how rested you feel, regardless of the duration.
He added that sleeping and waking up at the same time every day improves sleep health, too.
Adequate sleep also differs from person to person. Many people think they need eight hours of sleep or they “will fail the next day”, but that is not exactly true, Mr Lim said.
The National Sleep Foundation in the United States recommends that adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep, but good quality uninterrupted sleep is important for feeling well-rested the next day, he added.
Other factors include continuity. This means you sleep right through the night, not when you spend seven hours in bed but only five hours asleep because you woke up and could not fall back asleep.
Prof Chee said: “You need to make time for sleep. If you make time for sleep, you will take care of both the duration and the regularity issues.”
CAFFEINE-DEPENDENT, RUNNING ON EMPTY
People who are constantly running on a sleep debt can feel its ill effects on their bodies and lives.
However, sometimes, the circumstances are beyond their control and reflect the challenges of living in a dense, urban city environment such as Singapore's.
For a time, Ms Shermane Wong, 30, found herself constantly being woken up in the wee hours of the night by the explosive roars and rumbles of her neighbour’s sports car business.
“I'll be in a deep sleep and wake up in shock,” the content developer said. “I can fall asleep in a second, but I'm also a light sleeper, so the smallest things wake me up. On top of that, it would be hard to fall back asleep.”
Those loud roars have since stopped, but because of the environmental acoustics of her estate, she is still disturbed or awakened by other loud noises from her neighbours such as the thumps and cheers of late-night basketball games.
She noticed that she became snappier and more impatient with her husband whenever she did not get enough sleep.
“I couldn't wait for him to get to the point when he was talking. I kept telling him, ‘faster, faster’,” Ms Wong recalled, noting that her grumpy mood became a “point of contention” for the couple.
Naturally, being sleep-deprived also affected her at work.
“We would have these long creative meetings once a week and I just could not contribute as much as I normally would,” she said.
“It looks like I'm slacking off, but I'm not. I'm just trying to make sure I stay awake for the entire meeting.”
She continued: “I feel like it's unfair for my work, colleagues or even my husband because they just don't have the best version of me (when I’m sleep-deprived).”
Ms Shermane Wong (pictured) found herself constantly being woken up at night by the explosive roars and rumbles of sports cars. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)
For Ms Zawani Abdul Ghani, 39, not having enough sleep affects “everything” in her life, from her mood, concentration, ability to stay awake and her health.
A typical night’s sleep for the freelancer in the media industry now consists of waking up at least once, even if only for a brief moment.
She said that it used to be worse. There was a time when she would wake up four times a night, tossing and turning and unable to fall back into a deep sleep. Now, she aims for at least seven hours of sleep, which she manages most nights.
But whenever she falls short of this, Ms Zawani said that it affects her energy levels, prompting her to reach for junk food, which inevitably leads to a sugar crash and further drains her energy.
“It’s a vicious circle,” she said.
Ms Zawani Abdul Ghani (pictured) said that a lack of sleep affects her energy levels, prompting her to reach for junk food, which inevitably leads to a sugar crash and further drains her energy. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)
STRESS, DEVICES, URBAN ENVIRONMENT
In developed countries such as Singapore, the reasons for insufficient sleep are often well-understood but difficult to address.
Assoc Prof Gooley from Duke-NUS Medical School said that work – whether paid or schoolwork – is one of the “greatest barriers to achieving a healthy amount of sleep”, with time-use studies showing that work often displaces time spent on sleep.
“We often work late to complete tasks (on the job or schoolwork) and also wake up early to report to work or school.
“On top of this, the pressures of work can contribute to pre-bedtime anxiety and worrying that make it difficult for the mind to shut down for sleep,” he added.
Dr Biju Thomas, head and senior consultant of the Respiratory Medicine Service at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, said that artificial light exposure, mainly blue light from digital screens, negatively affects sleep.
“It can suppress the production of melatonin, a naturally produced hormone that helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle,” Dr Thomas said.
“Suppressing the natural cycle of melatonin production will lead to an increased level of alertness, difficulty in falling asleep, increased sleep latency and poor sleep quality due to fewer restorative deep-sleep stages.”
Asst Prof Lo from NUS said that people usually use their devices for activities that keep them “cognitively aroused” such as playing games and watching videos.
“As a result, we delay our bedtime and when we finally go to bed, we have trouble falling asleep,” she added.
However, Prof Chee pointed out: “Many people say devices are an issue, but the devices are a symptom of poor time management.”
When used properly, devices can aid people in getting better sleep, with research showing that phones can sometimes be used for relaxation, he said.
“If you get riled up (from using the phone), then that’s a different story. But if you're just looking at maybe a comforting movie or listening to an audiobook, that's fine.”
Artificial light exposure, mainly blue light from digital screens, negatively affects sleep. (Photo: iStock)
In addition to the stresses of daily life and devices, the constant buzz of city life makes it tempting to forgo a night of rest for some prata at the coffee shop or a "quick" game of mahjong.
Dr Joseph Leong, senior consultant psychiatrist at mental health clinic Promises Healthcare, said that he has encountered patients who said that because they could not sleep, they would eat and "play" throughout the night.
"Late-night mahjong or social gaming requires intense focus, strategy and engagement, which keeps the brain alert and delays relaxation."
He added that late-night suppers can cause discomfort and result in indigestion and acid reflux, making it harder to fall asleep.
"Drinks consumed during supper such as kopi (coffee) or milk tea contain caffeine, and spicy food like laksa can stimulate the body and delay sleep onset."
Reference:
CNA: Many in Singapore struggle to get a good night's sleep – and this is detrimental not just to the individual. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/big-read/sleep-deprivation-health-productivity-risks-4862566